Any ideas on how to dry pot soil?

[Than]

It has been raining non stop the last three days here and the temperatures have dropped. Our maximum today is only 13 C (55 F). Some of my palms are already overwatered, for instance my Euterpe. Now the rain keeps the pot soil constantly moist. Is there some trick to help the soil dry faster? I tried putting the pot on kitchen paper but it doesn't seem to absorb much.. They are outside on the balcony and I'd rather not put them indoors yet.

[meridannight]

Fully wetted potting soil is not going to dry at 13º Celsius. It will take weeks! You need heat and you need sun. Sun and 13 degrees is still not enough. Plus the plants will not be using said moisture under such cold conditions either, so it's just asking for a root rot. I'd get the plants indoors ASAP under 25º preferably. But 20º and bright light should be bare minimum if you want the soil to start drying. 

Your only other option is to transplant the palms into a new potting mix. 

[Than]

  On 12/2/2024 at 10:45 PM, meridannight said:

Fully wetted potting soil is not going to dry at 13º Celsius. It will take weeks! You need heat and you need sun. Sun and 13 degrees is still not enough. Plus the plants will not be using said moisture under such cold conditions either, so it's just asking for a root rot. I'd get the plants indoors ASAP under 25º preferably. But 20º and bright light should be bare minimum if you want the soil to start drying. 

Your only other option is to transplant the palms into a new potting mix. 

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I could bring it indoors I guess; it's just that I thought it should get accustomed to lower temperatures...

[Phoenikakias]

That's why I suggest the most light medium, unless you have a greenhouse. Indoor conditions won't help either because you will lack desiccating northern wind and ample day light. I feel sorry for you. Better protect it overhead from future precipitation. The good news are that rain water is full of oxygen, so any root rot will take some time to commence.

PS

I lost my smart phone, so no way that we can communicate via Viber.

[Than]

  On 12/3/2024 at 11:50 AM, Phoenikakias said:

That's why I suggest the most light medium, unless you have a greenhouse. Indoor conditions won't help either because you will lack desiccating northern wind and ample day light. I feel sorry for you. Better protect it overhead from future precipitation. The good news are that rain water is full of oxygen, so any root rot will take some time to commence.

PS

I lost my smart phone, so no way that we can communicate via Viber.

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No need to feel sorry for me 🤣 .

The medium is indeed very light, it's mostly seramis. I've put it indoors, next to a very large south facing window, so it gets sunlight directly. Next time I water, whenever that is, I will add some fungicide in the water. I may also put it on a heat mat for few days, that may help dry the soil.  I hope it makes it..

Go get another smartphone, I need to bother you on Viber with questions!

[Phoenikakias]

I would not use Seramis alone. Even the brand itself sells mixes with pine bark or lava for orchids and cacti respectively. Heat mat is indeed an option. I was about to propose it but pulled back finally, because I know you are 'kavourakias'. Be careful though with the extreme drying out of the lowest part of the root ball!

[happypalms]

  On 12/2/2024 at 3:24 PM, Than said:

It has been raining non stop the last three days here and the temperatures have dropped. Our maximum today is only 13 C (55 F). Some of my palms are already overwatered, for instance my Euterpe. Now the rain keeps the pot soil constantly moist. Is there some trick to help the soil dry faster? I tried putting the pot on kitchen paper but it doesn't seem to absorb much.. They are outside on the balcony and I'd rather not put them indoors yet.

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Bottom heating and air movement.

[happypalms]

  On 12/4/2024 at 10:14 AM, happypalms said:

Bottom heating and air movement.

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Go for basically a bio hydroponic soil mix coco coir perlite mix with about 20% good quality potting soil palm love it. Or a hothouse! 

[Phoenikakias]

  On 12/4/2024 at 10:17 AM, happypalms said:

Go for basically a bio hydroponic soil mix coco coir perlite mix with about 20% good quality potting soil palm love it. Or a hothouse! 

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there is also a much coarser coir, that is with larger chunks. This might do the job here as ingredient for outdoors cultivation

[Than]

Won't bottom heat also help fungi grow though?

[Phoenikakias]

Fungi are always there and lurk like the bacteria in your body. The bet is keeping them in balance and under control. A weakened palm, plant generally, is always a preferred target of fungal disease. For tropical plants cold is a stressing factor, much more, much, much more, the combination of cold and wet.

[Than]

  On 12/4/2024 at 1:45 PM, Phoenikakias said:

Fungi are always there and lurk like the bacteria in your body. The bet is keeping them in balance and under control. A weakened palm, plant generally, is always a preferred target of fungal disease. For tropical plants cold is a stressing factor, much more, much, much more, the combination of cold and wet.

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Oh I didn't know that. My Euterpe looks very weakened right now, a bit chlorotic and with dry marks on all but the newest leaf. I'll do my best to save it as I love this plant a lot. It's already indoors, next to the balcony door, in a heated room, on a heat mat. At nights a dehumidifier is on too.

[Phoenikakias]

  On 12/4/2024 at 7:31 PM, Than said:

Oh I didn't know that. My Euterpe looks very weakened right now, a bit chlorotic and with dry marks on all but the newest leaf. I'll do my best to save it as I love this plant a lot. It's already indoors, next to the balcony door, in a heated room, on a heat mat. At nights a dehumidifier is on too.

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No dehumidifier, supposed that it has already a root problem, it needs therefore humidity in the air as it reduces transpiration and hence need for water absorbance from the soil.

[Than]

  On 12/4/2024 at 7:52 PM, Phoenikakias said:

No dehumidifier, supposed that it has already a root problem, it needs therefore humidity in the air as it reduces transpiration and hence need for water absorbance from the soil.

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Oh dear, it's like nuclear physics. Anyway, the dehumidifier doesn't get humidity lower than 50% anyway.

I wonder how I will deal with these issues when it is finally in the ground, and the ground will stay wet for months in the winter, while temperatures will remain low. Other than fungicides there won't be much I can do. Plus my property is surrounded by a concrete wall as it is on a slope, so it may function as a massive pot, holding the water in... 🤨

[Phoenikakias]

On the contrary

[Than]

  On 12/5/2024 at 5:34 AM, Phoenikakias said:

On the contrary

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I hope you're right. The wall is concrete which I guess lets some water sip through, and also it has many drainage holes. Let's see. 

[Phoenikakias]

  On 12/5/2024 at 7:23 AM, Than said:

I hope you're right. The wall is concrete which I guess lets some water sip through, and also it has many drainage holes. Let's see. 

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My property is slopy too and I have a retaining wall on the lower side of about 3 m tall. The all set up looks like a huge mound. You can also build additional mounds on the big mound. Whenever it has rained heavily in my area, I see even the day after pooled water in the plains but up on the hills it does not even stick mud on the shoe soles. 

[Than]

  On 12/5/2024 at 8:12 AM, Phoenikakias said:

My property is slopy too and I have a retaining wall on the lower side of about 3 m tall. The all set up looks like a huge mound. You can also build additional mounds on the big mound. Whenever it has rained heavily in my area, I see even the day after pooled water in the plains but up on the hills it does not even stick mud on the shoe soles. 

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Aha, I didn't know you also have a retaining wall. Mine is about 4m tall. The soil at the garden though is more or less flat, with little inclination. You probably have larger inclination and that's good. You gave me an idea: to try and increase the inclination. But I'll have to ask an engineer first cos I don't want to increase the load on the wall and find myself in the creek one day!

Have you ever thought that the extra weight of the trees may put too must weight on the retention wall?

[Phoenikakias]

I had olive trees there for decades without a problem, but the wall is anchored with underground hooks to the house foundations. Mine could also be up to 4 m high, never measured it. Flattened part of the garden has a little inclination too.

[Than]

  On 12/5/2024 at 11:32 AM, Phoenikakias said:

I had olive trees there for decades without a problem, but the wall is anchored with underground hooks to the house foundations. Mine could also be up to 4 m high, never measured it. Flattened part of the garden has a little inclination too.

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I don't have any such hooks. I doubt the house has any foundation haha. Greek afthereto architecture at its best (I bought it when already legalized).

With this inclination and mounts, do you manage to do deep watering in the summer?

[Phoenikakias]

  On 12/5/2024 at 2:57 PM, Than said:

 

With this inclination and mounts, do you manage to do deep watering in the summer?

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It's a bit complicated ha, ha, ha. Suffice to say that I prefer planting there only spp of the genus Sabal, which loves sandy soil (which I have not), and that I use black tarp on surface.